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Belgium's national railway company plans to launch driver-only operation trains

Xinhua, December 14, 2016 Adjust font size:

Belgium's national railway company SNCB plans to launch one-man (driver-only operation, or DOO) trains in the country by 2020, the business newspaper l'Echo reported Wednesday.

The system will require an investment of at least 40 million euros (42.5 million U.S. dollars) and reduce the net employment of 469 agents.

The railway operator has completed a comparative study based on other companies in the sector that have already abolished the conductors in their vehicles. The conclusions should enable the SNCB to assess the operational, legal and commercial implications as well as the safety implications.

According to the results, the SNCB has to invest at least 40 million euros (42.5 million dollars) in its infrastructure. Investments will include the adaptation of the trains, such as door closure control, emergency braking systems, and so forth.

It will also be necessary to deploy a network of cameras in high-risk areas (known as a camera implanted every 100 meters), mainly at large stations and stopping points and in areas where visibility is poor or impaired. Moreover, mirrors would need to be installed at smaller breakpoints to increase the visibility of drivers, and the number of ticket machines would need to be increased.

Testing will be carried out on the rural lines, before attempting the experiment in the two Belgian cities Antwerp and Liege. Endi